Pepper Spray, Gun Fights and Waffle Riots: Is Black Friday Worth It?

*Confession: I’ve only gotten up at a ridiculous hour on Black Friday once. I was 9, and I had to have a Furby. Needless to say, I got my Furby, and by the end of the day it wouldn’t shut up and it spent the rest of its life in the back of my closet. Worst purchasing decision ever. * 

Now to say the least, I really don’t understand people’s fascination with Black Friday. At its most extreme, some people camp out for days, well before Thanksgiving, just to save a few bucks on some loss-leader gadgets. Others amp themselves up on coffee, soda and energy drinks to wait in line at midnight, 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

What ensues on Black Friday is always turmoil, chaos and yes likely a few hospital visits. Guess what? Every year I lose more and more faith in humanity as I read the news stories (and this year, Twitter) about all the crazy, vicious and sometimes downright violent stuff people pull to get the “best doorbuster deals.” Here’s some of the worst offenses this year.

Walmart Gun Fights 

From California to Florida, there were at least a dozen stories about fights breaking out in Walmart or in the parking lot line late last night and early this morning. Some even ended in armed robberies, like this one in a Northern California Walmart parking lot. 

Pepper Spray Aficionado 

Now, pepper spray may be warranted if you are fending off a legit attacker or (depending on your side) maybe even if you are UC Davis police officer spraying non-violent occupy protesters. But, a female shopper pepper spraying a horde of her fellow Black Friday shoppers to get the best deals on Xbox games at a LA Walmart definitely crosses this line.

Who Knew Waffle Makers Were So Popular? 

Now, I like waffles as much as the next person. But, I’ve never had a burning desire to own a waffle maker at home. Nor, even the slightest need for one. According to a Mashable article, this wasn’t the case in an Arkansas Walmart. There was literally a stampede over $2 waffle makers.

While a stampede over waffle makers may be a tiny bit comical, it’s kind of upsetting (and downright pathetic) when you realize all this Black Friday chaos was caused by grownups.  Many of them even have kids of their own. And there they were pushing and shoving, getting into fist fights/screaming matches and even pulling out guns and pepper spray. This is all to save a few bucks. Ask yourself this. Is Black Friday really worth it?